Huntsville gazette., 1887-08-13
A TERRIBLE DISASTER.
AN EXCURSION TRAIN PLUNGES
THROUGH A BRIDGE.

Two Hundred People Killed and Many
Others Injured-The Wreck Takes Fire
and a Horrible Holocaust Occurs-A
List Of the Dead as Far as Learned.
! PEORIA, Ills, Aug. 12.-For some days
past the Toledo, Peoria Il Western railroad
! has advertised an excursion train to run to
Niagara Fails and back at reduced rates
The great heat here and the industry with
which the excursion was advertised brought
it to the notice of everybody and a large
number Of citizens from this and surround
ing towns avaiIed themselves Of it. When
the train pulled out last night there were
twelve coaches filed.
Superintendent E. N. Armstrong accom-
panied the party in his private coach, and
this was coupled on next to the baggage car,
Accompanying him were Mrs. H. d. Gould
and daughter Nellie, Mrs. Parker and sew
eral others, wives and relatives of officials
! of the road. A large crowd assembled to
see them off, and as they pulled out of the
station it was noticed that the train was q
double-header, that is, that there was an en-
gine behind assisting the one In front by
/ pushing. Nothing more was heard from the
train until this morning at o'clock, when
q dispatch was received that it had gone
through bridge at Chatsworth, and that
one hundred people were killed and as many
tyere badly injured The union depot was
4 thronged at an early hour this merning with
friends and relatives Of those who were on
the train. The excitement was intense.
1t was reported that Will. O. Clark. of
the Peoria house, and his wife were among
the killed, and that Mrs. H. D. Gould and
daughter had been taken out Of the wreck
dead that Armstrong was instantly killed,
and that the wreck had taken fire and
burned up dozens Of people who were other
wise uninjured Amidst the confusion and
excitement better news came in slowly. 1t
was learned that Armstrong was safe, to-
gether with every one in his car excepting
Mrs. Parker, who had her ankle injured.
Neither Mrs. Gould nor daughter are injured
at all, and many who were reported dead
are uninjured.
The trouble seems to be that the bridge
over the Vermillion river was set on fire by
the flames that have been raging lately and
that the stringers were 80 weakened that
they let the bridge down in the bed of the
stream with all the cars
An old Toledo, Peoria & Western con-
ductor named George w. Scott who left
here at 2 o'clock this morning has just tele-
graphed that over loo are killed, but that
no one in the sleepers are injured This is
regarded as authentic No names can be
obtained Engineer Clintock was killed.
The wreck is about three miles from the sta
tion.
| A train of twelve coaches Of wounded
reached Peoria at 2 o'clock. Over one hun
dred are still at Chatsworth in the town
hall, school house and ON the platform All
but five sleepers went through the bridge
The Illinois Central railroad officials in
this city say the train was drawn by two
engines, and g they are informed consisted
Of fifteen sleepers 1t went through the
bridgs, two miles west Of Piper City, and
about half way between Chatsworth and
Gilman. The second engine broke through
and went down, taking the cars with it.
The Wagner sleeping car Office, at the
Lake Shore depot, has information that four
Of its cars were burned up, but they do not
know how many passengers were killed or
injured, but the number Il undoubtedly
large
The bridge through which the cars went
was . small one. 1t had been partially
burned which had weakened it. Ten coaches
had either gone through to the bed Of the
stream, or were piled up in promiscuous
heaps crosswise and lengthwise on the
track So far seventy bodies have been re-
covered and none have been taken from the
cars underneath, and not even q sound can
be heard from them. It is feared that all in
those cars are dead. The number Of killed
will reach 200. The wounded, as far as can
he ascertained, will number 150
Among the dead are the following: Annie
Zimmerman, of Peoria; baby of Joe Neal,
Of Peoria; Edward McClintock, engineer Of
Engine Is, roasted alive.
Among the injured are: ]. e Dechman,
OF Peoria, slightly; Miss Pearl Adams, Of
Peorgia; Mrs. Kittie Welsh, of Peoria, ribs
broken Robert Zimmerman, OF Peoria,
badly hurt; Miss May McVoy, of Peoria,
badly hurt; Mrs Joseph Neal, OF Peoria.
leg broken; 3. a. Parker, Of Peoria, ssri-
ously hurt; Wallace Robinson, of Peoria,
dangerously; Mrs p Cress, Of Washington.
III Mrs. May Lass; Arthur Mccarthy;
James Blair; Joe Hatton, baggage master,
Of Peoria; Jesse Meeke, Of Eureka; Mrs.
Bucket of Forest.
] Among the Peoria excursionists on board
were the following: Miss Mary Morris,
William Ulrich, Mr.. and Mrs. NJ w. Regan,
Mrs. P. F. Valentine, Joe Neal, wife and
baby, Edward E. Putney and wife, Mrs
Phema Frahm, Miss Lizzie Jones. Mrs w.
M. Allen, Mrs James Deal, Mrs. William
Ball, ]. E. Dechman, Adam Schemberger,
Miss Jennie OShaughnessy, Miss Adam
Webster Charles Webster, Edward Comp
ton and wife. Miss Mary McEvey, Mrs.
John Murphy, Mr.. c. S. Dotty, Mrs Garrett
son, Lewis E. Rotterman, G. A. Smith, A.
N. Morton and wife, Robert Kennedy.
| Destructive Forest Fires
Fort WAYNE, Ind, Aug 12-The forests
adjoining the city are all on fire, and